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Nice new senator you’ve picked there, Harper.

Posted by Scott Tribe on May 21, 2010, at 11:45 am |

There are two traits of our newest Conservative Senator, David Braley (who, by the way, owns 2 CFL teams – the Toronto Argos and the BC Lions. I still don’t get how he’s allowed to own 2 different teams in the same league – conflict of interest anyone? – but that’s another story).

The first trait, as noted by Kady O’Malley, is that he already has the Conservative trait of deny, deny, deny, even when faced with facts:

As the Prime Minister’s Office announced Mr. Braley’s appointment, opposition Liberal researchers said he personally donated $16,500 to Mr. Harper’s 2004 leadership campaign and that his company Orlick Industries, an auto-parts manufacturer, donated another $30,000. Mr. Braley rejected those numbers. “You better check your facts because they are not correct,” he said from his Florida residence.

According to the list of contributors to Stephen Harper’s 2004 leadership campaign, a D.O. Braley did, indeed, make two separate donations — $8,000 and $8,500 — with an additional $30,000 coming from Orlick Industries Ltd. Now, it’s entirely possible that the details of exactly how much he contributed may have slipped his mind — it’s been more than six years, after all. But you’d think that he would have have had the presence of mind to preemptively heed his own advice to the Globe, and check the facts first.

The second trait is rather amusing; and it’s listed in the above quote if you read carefully enough. I’ll requote it:

…he said from his Florida residence.

Harper has apparently appointed a “just visiting” Senator to the Canadian Senate. I wonder how often he’ll venture up to Ottawa to vote on important matters. Maybe during the CFL season? When Harper phones him up and orders him to go?

2 comments to Nice new senator you’ve picked there, Harper.

Note that the same Globe and Mail article reports that Mr. Braley “lives in Burlington but travels frequently to Vancouver, which he and his wife Nancy consider ‘a second home.'”

Busy man. What his ownership of the Lions and the Argonauts, and his position on the board of the 2015 Pan Am Games, one might wonder that Mr. Braley is able to devote much time to his important work as a a senator. Add Ottawa to Burlington, Vancouver and Florida as part of his travel itinerary.

One odd connection I haven’t yet seen raised in the media or in blogs: It was just three months ago that Mr. Braley assumed ownership of the Argonauts, buying the team from… Howard Sokolowski, husband of newish senator Linda Frum. You’ll recall that in Ms. Frum’s only speech to the senate – hey, she’s only been there nine months – she talks of her husband and the delight she took in last year’s “Grey Cup match”.